The post continues from here. Taj Mahal is something that neither needs any introduction, nor any history lessons! The place is so so popular that there may be a situation that you may not even be able to enter the site since it is flooded with visitors! And that is what exactly happened with us :(. The number of people waiting at the ticket counter were far more than the total crowd at the Delhi Slut Walk! In general I would advise against visiting the place on a Sunday or public holidays. And if at all those are the only days you have, you should go in the morning.
Timings: The Taj Mahal is open from 6am to 8pm. Tickets are sold till 5:30 pm. It is closed on Fridays.
The Experience: After the failure to enter on Sunday, we headed there early morning on Monday. The cars have to be parked 1km from the site and you have several transportation options thereafter. You can walk, take a horse cart or even an electric auto. But beware of the tourist guides! They would always tell you there's a huge queue and they would get you in quickly, but they lie most of the times!
We had a smooth entry. No food/ tripod allowed! The place was beautiful but quite crowded even at 8:30 am! Ofcourse it was the Independence Day. The Taj Mahal is one of those places that a photographer must visit at least once! And the weather was perfect, a little cloudy but not hot at all. We spent almost 1.5 hours there, roaming around and taking pictures.
From there we headed towards Fatehpur Sikri, 40 Km away from the Taj Mahal. Fatehpur Sikri is a far more peaceful place. But let me warn you, the tourist guides are very annoying here! Just shove them away. It is also very huge. The complex includes royal palaces, courts, the dargah and the Buland Darwaza. In fact if you are interested in some history, you should take a guide along! They don't cost you much. Alternately, you can take Wiki print outs with you. By now however, I had an overdose of red :).
The drive back was absolutely horrible. We were directed to some road via Bharatpur and it was the most broken road I have ever traversed on! Finally we reached after driving for 9 long, difficult hours!
Now here's my journey through my photographs.
Timings: The Taj Mahal is open from 6am to 8pm. Tickets are sold till 5:30 pm. It is closed on Fridays.
The Experience: After the failure to enter on Sunday, we headed there early morning on Monday. The cars have to be parked 1km from the site and you have several transportation options thereafter. You can walk, take a horse cart or even an electric auto. But beware of the tourist guides! They would always tell you there's a huge queue and they would get you in quickly, but they lie most of the times!
We had a smooth entry. No food/ tripod allowed! The place was beautiful but quite crowded even at 8:30 am! Ofcourse it was the Independence Day. The Taj Mahal is one of those places that a photographer must visit at least once! And the weather was perfect, a little cloudy but not hot at all. We spent almost 1.5 hours there, roaming around and taking pictures.
From there we headed towards Fatehpur Sikri, 40 Km away from the Taj Mahal. Fatehpur Sikri is a far more peaceful place. But let me warn you, the tourist guides are very annoying here! Just shove them away. It is also very huge. The complex includes royal palaces, courts, the dargah and the Buland Darwaza. In fact if you are interested in some history, you should take a guide along! They don't cost you much. Alternately, you can take Wiki print outs with you. By now however, I had an overdose of red :).
The drive back was absolutely horrible. We were directed to some road via Bharatpur and it was the most broken road I have ever traversed on! Finally we reached after driving for 9 long, difficult hours!
Now here's my journey through my photographs.
The First View of the Taj Mahal!
I almost wanted to run to see more of it..
The Gate to the Taj Mahal
Finally..the Taj, A Complete View
Any trip to Taj Mahal is incomplete without this pose :)
One of the Minars
The Red Sandstone Boundary and The Yamuna
A Monkey taking a Leisure Walk by the River Bank
A little bit of a Discrimination :(
People, People Everywhere..
Thingsto Buy from Agra
Fatehpur Sikri
Dargah
On our Way Back Home..
Hope you had fun being a part of my journey :)
